Thumbs up, thumbs down

October 14, 2006

Thumbs up to all of the Tri-State area school systems that successfully intercepted Herald-Mail reporters sent to test their security measures. Many school officials and board members have said that they want to preserve a warm, inviting learning environment, but nothing would sour that environment worse than some crazy person coming in the door and trying to harm someone. Vigilance is the key.

Thumbs up to Local 1605 of the International Association of Fire Fighters, for its extremely generous donation of $40,000 to Children's Village, a Washington County not-for-profit organization that teaches local children about fire and traffic safety. Not only do these men and women risk their lives to keep local residents safe, but now they're taking a major step to fund safety education. Thanks.

Thumbs down to federal officials who have mistakenly linked thousands of law-abiding Americans to terrorist watch lists, forcing them to spend hours answering questions about activities they're not involved in. Aside from the inconvenience involved, here's a scary question: If officials have the wrong people on the list, can we be sure that the terrorists are on it?

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Thumbs up to Dennis Miller and Martin Brubaker of the Hagerstown Planning Commission, for their insistence that street work along Md. 60 and Eastern Boulevard for the new Stone House Square shopping center have extra lanes paid for by the developer, despite a protest by the developer's representative. Stick to your guns, guys.

Thumbs up to Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and his challenger, Lynn Swann, for agreeing to a series of debates on the future of the Keystone State. Too often, candidates play it safe, trying to control every facet of their campaigns by speaking only to groups made up of loyal supporters. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and her Democratic challenger Mike Callaghan also deserve thanks for facing off this past Wednesday.

Thumbs up to the late Marian Fisher, who died in the recent Amish schoolhouse shooting, for her bravery during the incident. Fisher, then 13, reportedly asked the gunman to shoot her first, apparently in hopes that the younger girls would then be let go. There are many adults who would not have made that sacrifice, which should never be forgotten.

Thumbs up to the almost 400 volunteers who participated in the United Way of Washington County's annual Day of Caring, helping with a variety of community projects, including painting structures and cleaning up trash. A special thanks goes to 42 employees of the City of Hagerstown, who participated during their normal working hours, and the City Council, which Mayor Robert Bruchey said had reached a consensus that they could do so.